About

The original intention of saddlesingers was to provide protection against string on saddle erosion

(i.e. steel on steel) produced by tremolo arm movement. This causes the saddles to become worn,

misshaping the saddle peaks giving reduced tonal quality and leaving hard sharp edges in the

saddle grooves which leads to excessive string wear/breakage. 

Although the saddles have either a black paint or a thin plating of chrome or gold, for cosmetic

reasons, these finishes soon wear off as the super hardened steel strings start digging in. 

To overcome this problem a brass insert (i.e. saddlesinger) is located between the string 

and the saddle. 

Brass has always been considered to be an excellent material for manufacturing bridges/nuts

because of it's resonant and conductive properties. As brass is softer than steel there is no erosion

to strings or saddles. 

When saddlesingers are used the benefits of a heavy metallic bridge are retained rather than

using graphite based material saddles which reduce tone and output. 

There is the capacity for a small amount of movement between the saddlesinger and the saddle groove which causes the saddlesinger to act more as a protective coating to the string than a rigid fixture to the saddle groove. This has the effect of reducing the amount the string cuts into

the saddlesinger. If the saddles were made entirely of brass and saddlesingers were not used,

the strings would cut into, misshape and grip the saddle peaks. 

Ordinarily saddle peaks are rounded to reduce string breakage although a more desirable tone is

achieved if the string leaves the saddle at a clearly defined end point. When saddlesingers are 

installed the string to peak angle is 90 degrees. When they are not used there is an ever

decreasing angle creating a dampening effect on the strings. This effect increases the more worn

the saddles become.